25 Xbox One tips and tricks for getting the most out of your console

Let no feature hide away unused

Can you believe the Xbox One has been around for a whole year already? It's changed massively in that short space of time too; from Microsoft releasing monthly patches and updates to just last week ditching the requirement that Kinect is bundled in with every console.

It's hard to keep up with every little thing that the system can do when you're concentrating on the important stuff like, oh, playing games, so we've gone ahead and done a little research.

From convenient short-cuts to little-known freebies, here are 25 must-know tips and tricks to squeezing every last bit of value out of the One.

1. Speed up game installation

Every Xbox One game will require you to do a mandatory install onto the console's hard drive, even those that you buy on a physical disc. It's a bit of a pain, but you can speed up the installation time by first disconnecting from Xbox Live (either remove the Ethernet cable from the console for wired connections or choose disconnect from Xbox Live under the console's Network settings), running the installation as normal and then re-establishing your connection again afterwards. Rumour has it that Microsoft is right now working on an update that will allow you to pre-load games prior to their release date, so hopefully waiting around to play brand new games will soon be a thing of the past.

2. Get free games

They say that nothing in life is free, but that was before Project Spark on the Xbox One came along. The game is currently in open Beta, meaning that you can download it for free right now on the Xbox Store. You don't even need an Xbox Live Gold account to get started. And, since the game is designed around creating new games and the Project Spark community have been busy working on original user-generated content for the last couple of months, there's already tonnes of stuff to try out or collaborate on. If you get bored of that, you could download the Xbox One exclusive Killer Instinct (so long as you have a Gold subscription), which will allow you access to the game's Dojo, Survival, Versus and Practice modes with one character for free. They rotate which free character you get quite regularly too, so chances are you'll be able to have a go with them all eventually.

3. Disable disc auto-play

By default, if you insert a disc or Blu-ray into your Xbox One it'll play automatically – assuming you've already downloaded the free Blu-ray app, of course. If you've played a Blu-ray disc before and you reinsert it into the console, it'll boot up from the point at which you last stopped watching. However, if you prefer to delay disc start-up until you choose to do so manually, you can disable auto-play by going to Settings > Disc & Blu-ray - and unchecking the boxes that read 'Play Disc Automatically' or 'Resume Playback'.

4. Make your smart phone a remote control

Do yourself a favour and download the free SmartGlass app for Xbox One (make sure you don't download the Xbox 360 version by accident, as they look quite similar). With it, your phone becomes a remote control for the Xbox One, one that's perfect for navigating the console's Internet Explorer app as you can pinch, zoom and click on links far more easily than you can with a controller. The SmartGlass app also offers up extra content for some apps and games, and you can use it to check on your Achievement progress when you're away from your console.

5. Access original TV

It's only on Xbox that you'll get Xbox Originals, exclusive broadcast content unique to the platform - some of which is planned to be fully interactive. Among the already confirmed projects is a Halo film to be produced by Hollywood alumni Ridley Scott, a Halo television series to be helmed by none other than Steven Spielberg, a sci-fi series co-produced by the UK's Channel 4, and an interactive reality TV show that will scour the globe recruiting rising footballing talent.

Though we don't know how these shows will be distributed to the platform just yet, Xbox Video recently streamed the Game of Thrones Season 4 premiere absolutely free to Xbox Live Gold Subscribers, so here's hoping it'll follow a similar thrifty theme.

6. Skype your friends

While most of Skype's base features have been free on multiple platforms for quite some time, the company recently made formerly premium features - like group video chat - free on the Xbox One app. So, after downloading the app on the Xbox Store (you can say "Xbox, Bing Skype" to bring up a shortcut to the download) you can hook up with up to nine of your friends and video chat in full 1080p.

7. Get fit for free

Download the Xbox Fitness app and, if you have an Xbox Live Gold account, you'll have access to a number of different introductory workouts free of charge for the next six months, including programmes by Jillian Michaels, Tracey Anderson and Shaun T of Insanity infamy. The comprehensive service uses the Kinect to track your heart rate and muscles, estimate calories burned, and provide feedback on your form, balance, and power. If you want to continue on after those initial trial workouts you're going to have to pay for it, but it's still cheaper than that gym membership, and you don't even have to leave the house to use it.

8. Livestream your games

Xbox One owners had to wait a little bit longer for Twitch to become available on their platform, but it's safe to say that it was worth the wait, as the finished product is now unequivocally the app's definitive version. Not only can you set up, record and broadcast a livestream without the need for any additional equipment, or even the need to take your hands off of your controller, but the Xbox One version is the only console that'll allow you to watch games and streams recorded from other platforms.

9. Let Xbox help you decide what to watch

If you spend more time trying to find what to watch than actually enjoying your favourite films and TV programmes, the Xbox One has a very handy (but not very well-known) feature. It helps you track down specific shows and lets you know which of your console's apps you can find them on. So, say for example you were to say "Xbox, Bing RuPaul's Drag Race" - a link to the show on Netflix will appear in the search results, and if you already have the Netflix app installed to the console, you can jump straight to watching the show from that shortcut.

10. Save your best bits

Never let an Ultra Combo go unrecorded again. If you've done something cool in a game, or encountered something funny that you want to share with the internet collective, saying "Xbox, record that" will retroactively record and save a clip of the last thirty seconds of gameplay. If you want to record something longer, or if you want a bit more control on the specific in and out points on your clips, say "Xbox, Snap game DVR" to bring up the option to record up to five minutes of footage at your leisure

11. Upload videos to YouTube

Recording your game DVR clips is simple, but publishing them online is even more so, if you know where to look. Load up the Xbox One YouTube app, scroll along to "Upload" on the left hand side menu, and then choose which of your videos you'd like to publish. You can edit their titles then and there, and once uploaded the app will provide you with a link from which you can view, tag or edit the finished product. You can also publish videos through Xbox's own Upload Studio, or you can upload them to your personal (and free) OneDrive account to access them later from any smart device.

12. Make your own games

The Xbox One's ID@Xbox program lets us all play next gen indie games, but the console could soon have the ability to let anyone try their hand at creating games too. Just before the console launched late last year, Microsoft pledged that every Xbox One has the potential to become a development kit, with the company claiming it wanted to "democratise" game development. Though we're not sure exactly when it'll happen, the Developer Settings Menu is technically already accessible on any console, though Microsoft has warned against mucking around with it until they've given the feature the full go-ahead.

13. Make sure you're seen and heard

Voice commands are undoubtedly efficient, but there's nothing more frustrating than when they don't work. If you're having trouble being understood by your Xbox One, make sure you're facing the console front-on and that the Kinect can see your mouth clearly. If it can see you, the microphone will actually 'zoom in' on whoever's talking, and ignore any consequential ambient noise or background chatter in the room. By that same token, if it can see you and you're looking off to the side and talking to someone else, the Kinect will assume you aren't addressing it and ignore its key command words and phrases.

14. Master voice commands

Here's the single most useful voice command for the Xbox One: "Xbox, select." Learn it, use it, as it's your ticket to getting the full benefit of the console's voice commands. Saying this at any time, no matter what you have open on the console, will bring up a full list of contextually relevant voice commands, highlighted in green. This is definitely handy for when you can't remember a particular shortcut, you're navigating a new video app, or your controller is all the way on the other side of the room.